None Dare Call it Torture

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Transcript of None Dare Call it Torture

Framing of the Abu Ghraib ScandalIndexing and the Limits of Press Independence in the Abu Ghraib ScandalBennett's "Indexing Hypothesis"Media watch dogs turned guard dogsCascading activation and event driven indexingTop Down Ladder and counter framesWhy do you think "abuse" has been viewed less extreme than the "torture frame"?How prevalent do you think cascading activation of news is in the media today?What other political scandal stories have lacked strong counter frames? Scandal in 2004Mistreatment and AbusePublic Opinion FormationMatt Fricks and Emily Dion Models of News Events and FramingApplying the Models to Abu GhraibEvent Driven Model: Photographic and documentary Evidence Cascading Activation: Administration of framing in a favorable lightTorture Policy Frame vs Bush Administration FrameWhy the Frame MattersEmpirical Question: To what extent and under what circumstances did news organizations highlight the torture frame versus the isolate abuse frame?Entman's useful standard of "counter framing"July 2004 survey by the Program on International Policy on attitudesMethodsFour Most prevalent labels: mistreatment, scandal, abuse, and tortureThe Washington Post: 242 news articles, and 52 masthead editorials, columns, and op-ed piecesCBS Evening News and 60 Minutes II Assessed findings against a national newspaper sampleFindings Part 13% of Stories (Washington Post) originally used" torture" as the primary frame81% of stories (Washington Post) originnaly used "abuse" as the primary frame17% of editorials used "torture"as the primary frame61% of editorials used "abuse" as the primary frame2 of 242 articles (roughly .008%) offered "torture" as a strong clue for audiencesFindings Part 2"Abuse" was more favored than "torture" by Washington Post"Torture" was considered "weak frame" until additional details were revealed"Torture" appeared as 1st or 2nd frame in 54% of stories in first 2 weeks after story brokeSample consisted of 895 articles from 4/1/2004-1/18/2005Only 9 items used the term "torture" aloneAdditional InformationReemergence of "torture" during investigation reports"Torture" reentered news during Gonzales confirmation hearingsCascading activation pertains to hierarchical relay of informationWhat This Means"Torture" frame had a harsher connotationAbuse was clear from evidence and required further analysis for "torture"During controversial events relating to Abu Ghraib, "torture" resurfacedConclusionEvidence of mistreatment became framed as regrettable abusePolitical power is the ultimate source of rise/fall of event-driven framesFraming of events at Abu Ghraib reflected predictable pattern of indexing Discussion Questions:Abu GhraibNone Dare Call it Torture:W. Lance Bennett, Regina G. Lawrence, & Steven Livingston